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  • US firm helps Modi govt keep social media blocked in held Kashmir

    US firm helps Modi govt keep social media blocked in held Kashmir

    The Indian government imposed communication blackout in August last year and stripped India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) of its special autonomous status.

    The administration has reached out to a US-based software firm Cisco Systems in order to prevent fixed-line internet users from accessing social media websites, reported ThePrint.

    The step has been taken to remove the restriction on a fixed-line broadband connection, however, social media platforms will still not be accessible to local residents even when internet connectivity is restored.

    Back in January, users were allowed 2G mobile internet and broadband for 1,500 individuals, including those providing essential services such as hospitals with access to only 1600 website.

    The firewall is being analysed and tested, and if it will be capable enough to sustain the blockage, it will be purchased, a senior government official said.

  • US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    US honours rights activist Jalila Haider with International Women of Courage Award

    Pakistani human rights activist and lawyer Jalila Haider is being honoured by the United States Department of State with the International Women of Courage Award for the year 2020. Jalila is among the 12 women from across the world who will be receiving the honour.

    According to a statement posted on their official website, the award recognises women around the globe who have “demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment at great personal risk.”

    The department stated that Haider was the “Iron Lady” of Balochistan, who had initiated a non-profit to support local communities by strengthening opportunities for vulnerable women and children.

    The statement further read: “She has fought against violence against women in public spaces. She specializes in defending women’s rights and provides free counseling and legal services to poverty-affected women. The first female attorney of her Hazara community, Haider led a peaceful hunger strike to recognise the right to life for the Hazaras.” 

    Other women on the list include Zarifa Ghafari (Afghanistan), Lucy Kocharyan (Armenia), Shahla Humbatova (Azerbaijan), Ximena Galarza (Bolivia), Claire Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Sayragul Sauytbay (China), Susanna Liew (Malaysia), and Amaya Coppens (Nicaragua).

    Haider is a rights lawyer giving free legal services to women in poverty. In October last year, Haider was named one of the 100 most influential women of 2019 by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

    Besides being a vocal activist for the rights of women, she is also the founder of We the Humans, a non-profit organisation working with local communities to provide opportunities for vulnerable women. 

  • Fare for still incomplete Peshawar bus project to start at Rs10

    Fare for still incomplete Peshawar bus project to start at Rs10

    Fare for the much-delayed Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), an additional Rs4.28 billion is still needed for the completion of which, will be kept at a minimum Rs10 per trip, a private media outlet has quoted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government officials as saying.

    According to reports, it was proposed by the KP government during a steering committee meeting chaired by KP additional chief secretary, wherein all participants agreed that the minimum fare from point A to point B should be kept as low as Rs10, while the maximum fare should be Rs50.

    While a majority has agreed to the recommendation as per which ticket pricing will vary with the distance and the number of stations travelled, some have suggested keeping a fixed ticket price.

    The final decision will be taken by KP Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan.

    It merits a mention that Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) had in February written to the KP government a letter stating that the team leader of BRT had prepared PC1 for the revised fund. It added that Rs1.5bn of the additional funds will be spent on the route between bus station numbers 19 to 31, while Rs980m will be spent on the route between bus station 1 to 8.

    In addition, a total of Rs1.5bn will be spent on Trans Peshawar office, bus depot and parks. Similarly, Rs1.35bn would be required for consultant supervision.

    KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, while talking to media, had said that the cost of BRT has been increased by Rs4bn, with which the cost of BRT has touched Rs70bn. He had added that the provincial government will provide the additional funds for the project, the approval of which will be taken from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).

    Yousafzai had also said that the BRT project would be completed in April this year, the credit of which goes to CM Khan. “We will complete the project in March and it would cost Rs35bn,” he had said, adding that despite being a third-generation project, it would cost less as compared to Lahore’s BRT project which cost up to Rs 40 billion in 2011.

  • Celebrities, politicians destroy Khalil ur Rehman Qamar for misogyny, demand boycott

    Celebrities, politicians destroy Khalil ur Rehman Qamar for misogyny, demand boycott

    Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, who is rather infamous for his misogynist views both on and off the screen, has stirred a storm once again by abusing journalist and rights activist Marvi Sirmed on live television.

    According to details, Qamar on Tuesday appeared on a talk show to discuss the aftermath of a petition against the forthcoming Aurat March being trashed by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition calling the march “un-Islamic” with a ” hidden agenda to spread vulgarity” was wrapped up by the court that said it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land.

    Qamar appeared to have a problem with the slogan, ‘Mera jism, meri marzi‘ and was commenting on it when Marvi murmured the same. This irked Qamar who started abusing her.

    VIDEO: Khalil ur Rehman Qamar abuses journalist Marvi Sirmed on live TV

    While some say the slogan ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and that to safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society”.

    Qamar’s comments did not go down well with celebrities, politicians, journalists and other members of the civil society, who called for a boycott on the writer.

    https://twitter.com/KhoosatSarmad/status/1235112910591942656?s=20

    Others criticised the anchor, Ayesha Sohail, for not managing the situation better.

    Meanwhile, some people hoped that Geo, who had recently signed a contract with the writer for four plays and a movie, would reconsider their decision to work with him.

  • ‘IMF putting Pakistan on path of stability’ says Dr. Reza Baqir

    ‘IMF putting Pakistan on path of stability’ says Dr. Reza Baqir

    Dr Reza Baqir, the governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the government’s partner in reforming the country’s current economic system, Pakistan Today reported.

    In a briefing of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, chaired by Rana Tanvir Hussain, the SBP governor said that the relationship of Pakistan and the IMF was based on common interests.

    However, he assured the house that “inflation will go down and the general public will feel the relief.”

    Baqir says that the SBP’s monetary policy committee had decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 13.25 per cent. “The monetary policy committee stance is appropriate to bring inflation down to the medium-term target range of 5-7pc over the next six to eight quarters.”

    Right now, reducing the interest rate would affect the people who have kept their savings in the banks. However, he admitted that higher interest rate created difficulties for the borrowers.

    “The national savings rate is already very low and if the people are discouraged, then the country will have to borrow the required money from international agencies, and that will raise our current account deficit,” he further added.

    “The main focus of the SBP is to maintain foreign exchange reserves in the country.”

    Baqir also noted that if the foreign reserves would grow, Pakistan would not have to approach international agencies for borrowing.

    The SBP governor said due to higher interest rates in the past, manufacturing had almost ended, but after reforms carried out by the incumbent government, manufacturing activities were once again on the rise despite higher policy rates.

    “The present government did not take loans from the SBP due to which inflation is now being controlled. However, the state bank, at the same time, is making efforts to restore the confidence of foreign and local investors.”

  • Pressure chamber seized from Chinese ship could be for Pakistan’s nuclear weapons: Indian media

    Indian media reports have quoted Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) experts as saying that the industrial autoclave — a pressure chamber used to carry out industrial and scientific processes — seized from Chinese ship Dai Cui Yun, can be used for the manufacture of very long-range ballistic missiles or satellite launch rockets.

    According to Hindustan Times, the ship on February 3 was detained by Customs at Kandla Port in Kutch District of the Indian state of Gujarat while en-route to Port Qasim in Karachi “on the basis of an intelligence tip-off” and later allowed to proceed to Pakistan on February 20 after dual-use equipment was seized.

    The autoclave was declared as an industrial dryer.

    According to top government and intelligence officials, the DRDO’s technical experts and missile scientists informed the Kandla Customs, the Ministry of External Affairs and national security planners on Tuesday morning that the seized 18 metres by 4 metres autoclave could indeed be used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) platforms.

    “The autoclave can be used for the manufacture of the motor of very long-range missiles, with range upwards of 1,500 kilometres or even in the construction of a motor for the launch of satellites. Pakistan has the Shaheen-II missile in the 1,500-2,000 kilometre range and the platform was tested last May,” the report quoted an official as saying on the condition of anonymity.

    Islamabad’s nuclear missile programme is not indigenous and is based on Chinese design with Beijing helping Islamabad since the 1980s. India claims it is for no other reason that China is blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) till Pakistan is also allowed to enter the nuclear club”.

    The report added that given the seizure of the autoclave, Indian “friends” such as France and the United States (US) “could now pressure Beijing to allow India into the NSG”.

  • Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Shoaib Akhtar says Fakhar Zaman ‘does not have a brain’

    Former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has slammed Fakhar Zaman for being “reckless and not putting his hand up while performing for his side in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL)”.

    Akhtar’s remarks came after Zaman, who is playing for Lahore Qalandars, struggled to hit any form in the competition. The left-hander had scored 76 runs in four games, with an average of 24.66 and a strike-rate of 125.42 in the first three matches with 74 runs.

    “The person who doesn’t have a brain is Fakhar Zaman. When you have one player [Chris Lynn] who is already playing fast, then Fakhar needs to understand that he can slow down a bit,” Akhtar said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

    “Chris Lynn is not some Viv Richards. Lynn plays well where there is equal bounce like Australia. He is good aggressive player, but you need just one aggressive player like that.

    “Qalandars batting line-up is made up of similar kind of batsmen who just believes in senseless hitting. You can play aggressively and take chances in the powerplay, but in the next 14 overs you need to know how to anchor the innings, take quick singles and then finish well.”

    Shoaib Akhtar, who never minces his words, has been critical of Zaman earlier too. When Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup clash last year, he questioned his technique and the way Zaman reacted to pressure.

    Qalandars will tonight be playing two-time champions of the PSL, Islamabad United, for the second time in the ongoing tournament.

  • Govt to impose tax on underground water usage

    The government of Sindh on Tuesday decided to impose a new tax on the use of water in the province, Profit reported.

    A draft of law comprising recommendations for the proposed tax has been prepared and the officials of local government department will brief the members of the provincial cabinet over the upcoming Sindh Water Tax Act in a meeting.

    The draft of the law suggests Rs1 per litre tax on water, sources said. The tax will be recovered from the mineral water companies, according to sources.

    Proposed tax will also be recovered from the soft drinks manufacturing companies, as per the report

    The revenue generated by the proposed tax will be distributed among the Karachi Water Board and the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA).

  • VIDEO: Khalilur Rehman Qamar abuses journalist Marvi Sirmed on live TV

    Writer and director Khalilur Rehman Qamar, who is not new to controversy and is rather infamous for his misogynist views both on and off the screen, has abused journalist and rights activist Marvi Sirmed on live television.

    According to the details, Qamar on Tuesday appeared on a talk show to discuss the aftermath of a petition against the forthcoming Aurat March being trashed by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The petition calling the march “un-Islamic” with a ” hidden agenda to spread vulgarity” was wrapped up by the court that said it couldn’t be banned under the law of the land.

    “First of all, the court has barred them [women marchers] from using filthy slogans like ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ [my body, my choice],” Qamar can be heard as saying in a video clip of the show doing rounds over the internet, in reference to the court’s order that participants of the march should “refrain from hate speech and immorality”.

    Attempting to launch a tirade against the phrase, Qamar can then be heard as criticising Sirmed for using such slogans, to which the journalist reacts with murmuring the same that had led to a war of words over the internet after the slogan went viral following last edition of the annual Aurat March.

    While some say the slogan ‘mera jism, meri marzi’ is “vulgar” and is used by women marchers in “an attempt to westernise the Pakistani society”, the marchers themselves say it pertains to “the right of choice and that to safety of women and even minor girls who are subjected to sexual assault in this very society”.

    “Don’t interrupt!” the writer tells Sirmed in a rather aggressive tone, to which the rights activist once again chants the same slogan but in a louder voice.

    “What is there in your body? Who the hell are you? Go take a look at your body… no man spits on you,” Qamar adds while also abusing Sirmed who continues to repeatedly chant “mera jism, meri marzi“.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The third panellist, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Senator Maulana Faiz Muhammad, and the host of the television show can in the meantime be seen requesting Sirmed to stop talking and hear Qamar out.

    With netizens losing it over the remarks made by Qamar and also calling out the host of the show for doing nothing to stop him, here’s what the anchor has to say:

    Do you think the anchorperson could’ve stopped things from escalating? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • Sammy says no one can come between him and his ‘baby’

    Sammy says no one can come between him and his ‘baby’

    Peshawar Zalmi captain Daren Sammy has slammed rumours that implied that he has developed differences with the team owner Javed Afridi after he was rested for Monday’s game against Karachi Kings. Sammy asserted that no one can come between him and his ‘baby’.

    Rumours of differences began to emerge after Sammy posted a cryptic tweet after he was rested for the game. Wahab Riaz captained the team in Sammy’s absence.

    Following Sammy’s tweet, reports emerged that Sammy was upset with the decision to rest him. Zalmi had replaced Sammy with Carlos Brathwaite. The decision was allegedly taken after Sammy’s struggled for form and fitness because of which Zalmi have descended to the fifth position on the PSL 2020 points table.

    The decision to replace Sammy, however, did not work as well as the management expected. Brathwaite managed to score only 8 runs and Peshawar lost the match.

    Shoaib Akhtar, on the other hand, claimed that Sammy had a falling out with Afridi. Shoaib extended his support towards Sammy whom he termed a hero. Akhtar also commented that Shahid Afridi was also once part of the team.

    However, last week, Sammy and Afridi were spotted cruising on the streets of Islamabad.

    Later in the day (Tuesday), Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram also held a media talk in Rawalpindi in which he refuted the resports and revealed that it was his decision to rest Sammy against Karachi, adding that Sammy, too, was in agreement that he needed rest.

    The head coach explained that resting players is nothing new, also saying that Sammy was given a break to “work on his form and fitness”.

    Meanwhile, Sammy has become the first international cricket player to receive the highest civilian award and honorary citizenship of Pakistan for his contribution to the development of cricket in the country.

    President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi will confer both the citizenship and award, the ‘Nishane Pakistan’, on March 23.